Quiz: Can You Pass this State Capitals Quiz?: HowStuffWorks

Can You Pass this State Capitals Quiz?

EDUCATION

By: Isadora Teich

6 Min Quiz

Image: joe daniel price/Moment/Getty Images

About This Quiz

Do you think you know your way around the land of the free? America may be one of the newer countries to enter the global scene, but it has dominated it for generations. It is referred to as the United States of America for a reason. Each state is unique and plays its own part in shaping the American identity. Whether it comes down to historic importance, cultural impact or manufacturing power, the country is brimming with unique locales.

Did you know that neither the capital of Hawaii nor the capital of Alaska have roads that lead to the rest of their respective state? Did you know that the capital of Vermont more than doubles in size during the day? What about the fact that the capitol of New Mexico is the oldest capital in the country? Yes, it's from before the US even was a country.

If you are a United States geography expert who is ready to take a virtual road trip through the state capitals of the USA, then put your patriotic state capital knowledge to the test with this very American quiz!

_____ is the state capital of New York.

Bismarck

Albany

Springfield

New Orleans

Albany is the capital of New York. It was the first European settlement in what would become the state of New York. It was named for the Scottish Duke of Albany.

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What is the capital of Colorado?

Hartford

Boston

Denver

Miami

Denver is the capital of Colorado. Its nickname is the Mile High City because it's exactly one mile above sea level. This makes it the highest major city in America.

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Where can you find Austin?

Utah

Texas

Vermont

North Dakota

Austin is the capital of Texas. It is the second most populous capital city after Phoenix, Arizona. People have lived in the area that's now Austin since at least 9200 BCE.

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What is the capital of Hawaii?

Honolulu

Dover

Portland

Black Rock

Honolulu is the capital of Hawaii, and it's located on the island of Oahu. It is a major port into the US and an international business hub. It is also the westernmost major US city.

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The capital of Indiana is:

Boise

Kent

Los Angeles

Indianapolis

Indianapolis is the capital of Indiana. It is the 3rd most populous city in the American Midwest. The world's oldest major car race, the Indianapolis 500, is held every Labor Day weekend in Speedway (yes, that's the name of the town) which is a suburb of Indianapolis.

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Where can you find Nashville?

Tennessee

Maine

Vermont

Washington

Nashville is the capital and most populous city of Tennessee. It is most well-known for it's music scene. It's home to the Grand Ole Opry, a weekly country music concert that's been going strong since 1925.

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________ is the capital of Minnesota.

Lansing

Saint Paul

Los Angeles

Dulles

Saint Paul is the capital of Minnesota. It's one half of the Twin Cities region; the other is Minneapolis. The indigenous (Dakota) name for the area that the city now occupies was Imnizaska dan, which meant little white rock.

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The capital of Iowa is:

Tallahassee

Des Moines

Austin

New Orleans

Iowa's capital is Des Moines, which means "the monks" in French. It is also its most populous city. Des Moines has an outsized importance in American politics. It's where the first caucuses of each presidential primary take place every election cycle.

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Where can you find Salt Lake City?

Florida

Utah

Oregon

New York

Salt Lake City is the capital and most populous city in Utah. It's home to the world headquarters of the LDS Church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.) Only members in good-standing of the church are allowed in their main temple.

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What is the capital of Alabama?

Little Rock

Phoenix

New Haven

Montgomery

Montgomery, Alabama is the capital of Alabama and its second largest city. It was selected as the first capital of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War, and during the Civil Rights Movement, it was where the Montgomery Bus Boycott was held.

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________ is the capital of New Mexico.

Albany

Birmingham

Seattle

Santa Fe

Santa Fe is the capital of New Mexico. It's name is Spanish for "Holy Faith." It was founded by Spanish colonists in 1610, making it the oldest state capital city in America.

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The capital of Maryland is:

Annapolis

Des Moines

Sacramento

Las Vegas

Annapolis is the capital of Maryland. It is a part of the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area. The city is named for Princess Anne of Denmark and Norway.

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Madison is the capital of:

Florida

Wisconsin

Nevada

Arkansas

Madison is the capital of Wisconsin. It is known as Madtown, Mad City and The City of Four Lakes. It was unsurprisingly named after the fourth president of the United States, James Madison.

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Where is Charleston?

Maine

Illinois

West Virginia

California

Charleston is the capital of West Virginia. It has about 50,000 residents. The city didn't start to become occupied by settlers until after the American Revolutionary War.

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_______ is the capital of Mississippi.

Jackson

Trenton

El Paso

Langdon

Jackson is the capital of Mississippi. It is the state's largest urban area and home to a number of jazz, blues and soul musicians. Did you know that the first successful lung transplant from a cadaver to a living person was performed in Jackson?

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The capital of Kansas is:

Baton Rouge

Topeka

Montgomery

Chicago

Topeka is the capital of Kansas. Its name comes from a regional Native American phrase related to harvesting potatoes. It's also the city where racial segregation in public schools was deemed unconstitutional at the Supreme Court level.

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Where is Cheyenne?

Wyoming

Pennsylvania

New Jersey

Arizona

Cheyenne is the capital of Wyoming. It is also its most populous city in the state, although it only has about 64,000 people who live there. The city is named for the indigenous Cheyenne Great Plains tribe.

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What is the capital of California?

San Francisco

Sacramento

Billings

Honolulu

Sacramento is the capital of California and is named for the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. It's the 6th-largest city in California and the 35th largest in the US. The first huge population increase in the city came when gold was discovered relatively nearby in 1848.

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The capital of Massachusetts is:

Detroit

Boston

Pittsburgh

Honolulu

Boston is the capital of Massachusetts. This historic city is the most populous city in New England as well as one of the oldest cities in the country. It was founded in 1630.

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Where can you find Richmond?

Virginia

Kentucky

Louisiana

Washington

Richmond is the capital of Virginia and is one of the original 13 colonies. Before European settlers claimed the land, it was an important site of the Powhatan Confederacy, a Chiefdom of Virginian Indian tribes.

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What is the capital of Georgia?

Atlanta

Springfield

Phoenix

New York City

Atlanta is the capital of Georgia. It is the center of the 9th-largest metropolitan area in America. The city is also home to four major league sports teams including a baseball team, basketball team, football team and soccer team.

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Providence is the capital of which state?

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Wyoming

Colorado

Providence is the capital of Rhode Island. It is one of the oldest cities in the US. The city was founded by a Massachusetts Bay Colony religious exile, Roger Williams, in 1636.

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The capital of Kentucky is:

Toronto

Frankfort

Lansing

Detroit

Frankfort is the capital of Kentucky. It is a small city of only about 25,000 people. The city was originally called "Frank's Ford," but it eventually evolved into Frankfort.

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_________ is the capital of Montana.

Reno

Helena

Jefferson

Ottowa

Helena is the capital of Montana. It was initially founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold rush and today is one of the least populous US capitals. The land itself has been inhabited for over 10,000 years by indigenous groups.

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What is the capital of Florida?

Tallahassee

Dover

Albuquerque

Juneau

Tallahassee is the capital of Florida. It's the state's 7th largest city and home to Florida State University, one of the country's best public universities, as well as two other colleges: Florida A&M and Tallahassee Community College.

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______ is the capital of New Jersey.

Concord

Lockwood

Indianapolis

Trenton

Trenton is the capital of New Jersey and it's motto is, "Trenton makes, the world takes." The city was initially settled by Quakers in 1679. It was also the home of the first Revolutionary War battle that George Washington won, the Battle of Trenton.

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Oklahoma City is the capital of:

Oklahoma

Rhode Island

Tennessee

Alabama

Oklahoma City is the largest city and capital of Oklahoma. Its metropolitan area is home to more than one million people. Because of its geography, it's one of the most tornado-prone big cities on Earth.

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Salem is the capital of:

Oregon

Florida

Hawaii

Massachusetts

Salem is the capital of Oregon. It is the third largest city in Oregon after Portland and Eugene. Historians are unsure how Salem got its name, although there are a number of competing theories.

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__________ is the capital of Ohio.

Chicago

Columbus

Harrisburg

Salem

Columbus is the capital of Ohio. At the turn of the twentieth-century, Columbus built the world's first water processing plant that used filtering and water softening, which helped reduce water-borne outbreaks like typhoid.

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Pierre is the capital of which state?

Texas

Louisiana

South Dakota

Florida

Pierre is the capital of South Dakota. It is one of the least populous state capitals in the United States. The city was named after a fur trader, Pierre Chouteau, Jr.

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Where is Olympia?

Washington

Kentucky

Iowa

New Hampshire

Olympia is the capital of Washington state. It is located 60 miles southwest of Seattle. Much of historic Olympia was destroyed in 1949 due to a 6.7 earthquake.

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The capital of Louisiana is:

Baton Rouge

Augusta

Springfield

Los Angeles

Baton Rouge, which translates to "red stick" is the capital of Louisiana. The name comes from a red pole that separated tribal hunting grounds in the late 17th century.

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What is the capital of Alaska?

Philadelphia

Houston

Juneau

Hartford

Juneau, officially called the City and Borough of Juneau, is the capital of Alaska. It is the second largest city in the US by area. There is no road that connects Juneau to the rest of Alaska (or North America, for that matter.)

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Where can you find Montpelier?

Vermont

Missouri

Florida

California

Montpelier is the capital of Vermont. It is the least populous state capital in America, with fewer than 8,000 residents. During the day, however, the workforce population balloons the overall population to more than 20,000 people.

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Harrisburg is the capital of:

New Mexico

Pennsylvania

Kansas

Maine

Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. It hosts annually the largest outdoor sports show in North America. It also has the largest free indoor farm expo in the country.

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